The last concert I attended was Jonathan Coulton with Paul and Storm back in June of 2021. At the time we thought perhaps we were out of the woods with COVID. Instead, variant after variant has COVID a never ending fact life. For a while I was thinking that perhaps we’d eventually vaccinate our way out of this situation, but the vaccines haven’t proven to quite work that way. So, after passing up on a bunch of concerts this year, I decided to go see I Fight Dragons with MC Lars and Schaffer the Dark Lord. I just decided to wear a mask to keep myself from getting sick (especially since I’ve still got a few races and meets left this year).

The last time I saw I Fight Dragons was in 2018 just before their album Canon Eyes came out. That was also the first time I’d seen MC Lars in concert. This tour was supposed to be for the 10th anniversary of their album Kaboom, but it was delayed a bit because of COVID. A year later than they wanted, they set out on this tour. It was at the same venue where I saw them last time, The Metro Gallery, a great spot to see a smaller band. Almost no matter where you stand, you’ve got a good, close view of the band. It’s also just a few hundred feet away from the parking garage. 

I missed a chunk of Schaffer’s set due to my schedule that day, but he had a really funny way to end things, especially since it was an all-ages concert. I don’t want to spoil the joke in case he does it at other concerts, but the entire crowd cracked up when they heard it. 

As he did last time, a large chunk of MCLar’s set consisted of songs based on literature including Edgar Allan Poe, Moby Dick, Shakespeare, and others. He also took advantage of Schaffer’s presence to do their song Do the Bruce Campbell. As usual, his set was a lot of fun in that sort of corny dad joke sort of way that I really enjoy. (So, naturally, your mileage may vary)

Since this was specifically a tour to celebrate Kaboom, I thought the set might only contain songs from the album. The set actually consisted of songs from their entire discography, including some B-Sides from Project Atma. (Previously released on The Future Imperfect, a Kickstarter-exclusive album) Of all the times I’ve seen I Fight Dragons live, this was one of their best performances. The only thing I liked better last time was the way they ended with the Beatles song “In the End”. It was fun to hear some of the Canon Eyes songs live since we missed the chance for a Canon Eyes tour due to COVID. They continue to be a great live band and if you’re a fan, I recommend seeing them if they come to your town.